Hunters mask ·  Mali, Dogon · ID: 3038983

Description

wood, coated by a thick layer of encrusted blackish brown patina, shield-shaped flattened facial plane with the stylized head of an animal (wild pig?) superimposed, which forms forehead and nose of the actual mask face, open mouth with drilled holes where originally singular teeth were inserted, slightly dam., minor missing parts, paint chipped off in some areas, traces of old age;
the mask type possibly performed at the great “dama” commemorative ceremonies at which Marcel Griaule documented the appearance of more than seventy different mask types. The range of variation ranged from animals and birds to the depiction of different human characters.

The object Hunters mask with the object ID 3038983 was last part of the auction 80th Tribal Art Auction at June 27, 2015 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 237.

You can find more Masks and other popular object types on our related topic pages. You may also be interested in our page on African art.

Comparing literature

Publications

Bilot, Alain, Masques du pays Dogon, Paris 2001, p. 152, no. 78